Kevin Griffin is the author of One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps (Rodale Press 2004) and A Burning Desire: Dharma God and the Path of Recovery (Hay House 2009). A longtime Buddhist practitioner and 12 Step participant, he is a leader in the mindful recovery movement and one of the founders of the Buddhist Recovery Network. Kevin has trained with the leading Western Vipassana teachers, among them Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, and Ajahn Amaro. His teacher training was as a Community Dharma Leader at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin County, CA.
Kevin teaches internationally in Buddhist centers, treatment centers, professional conferences, and academic settings. He specializes in helping people in recovery connect with meditation and a progressive understanding of the 12 Steps. His events range from evening classes, to daylong workshops, and long weekend silent retreats. Get more information on his schedule here.
Kevin was raised Catholic in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the youngest of five brothers. He dropped out of high school in the late sixties to pursue a career as a rock guitarist. In his twenties he lived in New England and played the club circuit until moving to LA in 1979 with an Afrobeat band called Zzebra. When the band crashed and burned, Kevin found Buddhism and began to explore the spiritual life. After getting sober in 1985, he returned to school, earning his BA in English from UC Berkeley and MFA in Creative Writing from UC Irvine. He began teaching meditation in 1996 while working as a technical writer. He now divides his time between writing, teaching, and family time with his wife and daughter. He still plays and writes music and is currently recording a CD of dharma-related rock songs.